


Sweet Tooth

by BirdOfHermes



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Atlanta, Banter, F/M, Flirting, Flirty Steve Rogers, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Meet-Cute, One Shot, POV First Person, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Short & Sweet, Short One Shot, Steve Rogers is Not a Virgin, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Waiters & Waitresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2019-09-14
Packaged: 2020-10-18 15:28:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20641430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: An Atlanta waitress at The Vortex gets a very surprising restaurant patron one night. Post Civil War, pre Infinity War.





	Sweet Tooth

**Author's Note:**

> So the second time I saw Infinity War in theaters, when Tony opened the phone and stared at Steve's emergency phone number, I squealed because I realized it was an Atlanta area code. There are three main ones, which are 404, 678, and 770. For a long time, I had this running headcanon that for part of his time on the run after Civil War, Steve was in Atlanta, so this is the product. I've had it on the bench for a while, but a fellow Steve/Reader fan wanted to see it, so blame this on her if you don't like it. Plus, I was born and raised in metro-Atlanta, and parts of several MCU movies have been filmed here, so I thought it was be cute to just have Steve interact with an Atlanta girl. 
> 
> This takes place sometime after Civil War, but not quite enough that Steve is widely recognized, because I mean, why the hell would Captain fuckin' America be in a fucking quirky burger bar in the middle of Atlanta? Also, you'd be surprised how many people are fooled by the old "wearing a hat" trick. Ask a celebrity if you ever meet one. It weirdly does work.

_There's nothing more dangerous than a boy with charm_

_He's a one stop shop_

_Makes the panties drop_

_He's a sweet-talkin', sugar coated candy man_

_Sweet talkin', sugar coated candy man_

_-"Candy Man" by Christina Aguilera _

In the waitressing business, you never know what you’re going to get. Period.

The Vortex in midtown Atlanta, Georgia—one of the busiest parts of the constantly shifting, writhing monster of a city—pretty much stayed packed, and we’d had our share of the rich and famous over the years. We were well known for our burgers, drinks, colorful décor, and no-kids policy, and beloved by quite a large number of folks from all walks of life. Our patrons ranged from delightful to ‘if I wasn’t a waitress, I’d crack you over the head with a bottle of Jameson whiskey’ and there was no real way to know which kind of patron you’d get at any given time. Atlanta was one hell of a diverse city, after all.

The hostess had sat a gentleman in my area. I’d just returned from the restroom, so she caught me on the way around from the back. She was a tall willowy brunette named Jess, and she had a certain sparkle in her eye that I recognized immediately.

“Uh-oh,” I said, grinning. “Do we have a cutie at my table?”

“Girl,” she said severely, gripping my forearm. “Just…just go see for yourself.”

I chuckled. “Right. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll try my best not to drool.”

She tucked a napkin into the front of my smock. “Try real hard.”

I snorted back a laugh and strode around the corner towards my area.

I stopped mid-stride halfway there.

Good _goddamn_.

The new patron sat at one of my booths towards the center against the wall. He wore a baseball cap, a Yankees jacket, a white t-shirt, jeans, and boots. I caught a glimpse of honey-blond hair beneath the cap, the softest cornflower blue eyes, long lashes, full lips, and a square jaw that would make Steve McQueen jealous. As if that weren’t enough, he had a body that could put any heterosexual woman in a coma—a wide chest sculpted with perfected muscle, narrow waist, thick thighs, and even though I couldn’t see all of it, an ass that wouldn’t quit.

I thought about reaching into my smock for that napkin Jess gave me.

He must’ve had good peripheral vision; he turned his head to one side as he saw me and smiled.

My fucking knees almost went out.

Wow. What a smile. He could stop a riot with that smile.

I shook myself out of the trance and smiled back, walking towards him and praying my knees wouldn’t knock together. It wasn’t as if I didn’t get good-looking patrons; just not that amazingly flawless. Yet there was something familiar about him, too, now that I drew near.

“Good evening, sir,” I said, the corners of my lips creeping up towards my ears as I got close enough to smell his cologne. Something light, sweet, and simple. Again, my knees turned to jelly.

“Hi,” he said, revealing a lovely, low-pitched voice without an accent. “How are you?”

“I’m great. Welcome to The Vortex. What can I get you started with?”

“Just water with ice is fine,” he said. Then he paused. “Well, actually, I wouldn’t mind a drink too. What kind of beers do you have on tap?”

I rattled them off to him. He picked Blue Moon. I returned with a fresh, cold, frothy mug full of beer. He sipped it gratefully, smiling again, and I longed to be that frosted mug under those luscious lips before I slipped back into Waitress Mode. “Have you had enough time to look at the menu?”

“I’m a little torn,” he admitted sheepishly. The expression was cute as a button on that handsome face. “Maybe you can help me.”

“I’d love to. Which items are you torn about?”

He flipped to the burger side of the menu. “Which do you like better: the Alpine Steakhouse or the Rebel Outlaw?”

I mulled it over in my head. “Both are delicious, but I guess it depends on your tastes. The steakhouse is more classic and traditional. The Rebel Outlaw is a bit more adventurous. Which of the two do you think you might be?”

He chuckled softly. “Anyone who knew me would probably say the former.”

“Then I think we should go out on a limb tonight. It’s a Friday night, you’ve got a beer, and you’re out in the wonderful city of Atlanta. Why don’t we try being adventurous?”

That drew a grin out of him this time. Perfect white teeth. Again, I resisted the urge to go hunting my napkin. He flipped the menu closed and offered it to me. “Let’s do it.”

A warm blush flushed over my cheeks as I accepted the menu. He'd actually taken my advice. It was a small gesture, but I appreciated it anyway. “How’d you like it cooked?”

“Medium, please.”

And polite too. God, get me the hell away from this man. “Fries okay?”

“Sounds great.”

“I’ll have it right out to you as soon as it’s done, hon.”

“Thanks.”

I put his order in at the kitchen. Jess snuck away from her spot at the hostess desk and grabbed both my hands in excitement. “Did I tell you or did I freaking tell you?”

“Holy hell,” I groaned. “He’s just…_wow_. And he’s nice! Polite, even. Do you know how many handsome guys have walked in here and immediately ruined the fantasy by being rude, dismissive jackasses?”

“A thousand,” she confirmed, rolling her eyes. “So we’re talking actual eye contact instead of trying to see through your t-shirt or staring at your ass?”

“Actual eye contact,” I said. “Please and thank you. He asked for a recommendation and actually went for my suggestion. I have to get away from him or I’m going to propose before the night is over.”

Jess cackled. “If you don’t, I certainly will. Give me some more details in a bit, huh?”

“Will do.”

The Vortex, even at the late evening dinner rush portion of the day, had a pretty great turn-around time for food since our GM was a stone cold badass who asked for the best from our cooking staff. I got the handsome stranger’s food out to him in just under fifteen minutes. Just as I turned the corner towards him, he lifted up the baseball cap and ran a hand through his hair.

Again, I stopped mid-stride, but not because of how strikingly handsome the gesture was.

But because I recognized him.

Captain. Freaking. America.

Steve goddamn Rogers himself.

I damn near dropped the tray of food.

No wonder he’d seemed familiar. I’d read about the guy in the news before and I’d seen bits and pieces of footage from the Battle of New York and the Sokovia attacks. After SHIELD dissolved, no one really knew where he stayed and what the status of the Avengers had become. People could only speculate as the world governments went nuts discussing both sides of the argument for and against their presence keeping order against threats we couldn’t handle.

So what the hell was Captain America doing in Atlanta?

Again, I shook myself a little and brought him the food. He gave me another one of those spine-melting smiles as he thanked me, and then he tilted his head before I turned to go.

“You can ask, you know,” he said, those blue eyes twinkling slightly.

I licked my lips. “Ask what?”

The warm smile widened. “It’s okay. I know you recognized me a minute ago.”

I blushed again and fiddled with my smock. “Not very subtle, I know. It’s a curse.”

He laughed gently. “It’s alright. Transparency isn’t always a bad thing.”

I bit my lower lip. “Well, since you offered…yeah, what brings you here?”

“Just passing through,” he said. “My flight goes out in a couple days, so I figured I’d hit the streets and do a little exploring. I’ve never been in the city aside from a connecting flight or two over the years.”

He glanced down at the plate. “And I’ve really been craving a good burger lately.”

“You definitely chose the right place, trust me. And I won’t say anything to anyone, I swear.”

He nodded to me. “Thank you. I really do appreciate that, miss.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll come check back with you in just a bit, okay?”

He winked at me, honest to God. “Looking forward to it.”

I vividly imagined Cupid laughing maniacally as he shot his bow right through my heart. I floated away to my other tables, light as a feather, my cheeks burning hot the entire damn time. I didn’t know what gods I had pleased to be able to experience this man, but I’d definitely start praying to whoever they were immediately.

I returned to Steve’s table maybe five or six minutes later, and the entire plate was empty. I nearly choked on a laugh. “Well, looks like you enjoyed your choice, huh?”

“Oh my God,” he said, shaking his head and rubbing that perfect washboard stomach of his. “I want to order ten more of them, honestly.”

I did laugh that time. “You can if you want, but I’d have to call an ambulance to come get you afterward.”

“That was perfect,” he said emphatically. “Exactly what I needed. I can’t thank you enough.”

I waved the comment away. “I’ll give your compliments to the chef. Trust me, you’ll make his day once I tell him who ate one of his burgers. Got room left for dessert?”

“I probably shouldn’t,” he said.

“Oh, come on. You don’t want to be just a _little_ bad tonight?” As soon as I said it, I wanted to slap myself in the forehead. Goddammit, woman. Stop flirting with the fucking superhero.

He laughed again, thankfully not offended by the teasing. “Well, you do bring up a good point. What do you suggest?”

_Me, on this table, right now,_ my idiot brain immediately supplied. I mentally slapped myself before answering appropriately. “How does deep fried cheesecake sound?”

He let out a little groan. “You’re killing me.”

I winked. “You love it.”

That got me another grin. “I kind of do.”

“Coming right up, handsome.” I put the cheesecake order in and it popped out roughly ten minutes later. He took a bite. Those thick lashes came down over his eyes and he groaned again, but this time the sound came out somewhere between a growl and a purr. I had to convince myself not to straddle the man right there in the booth. This is exactly why I’m single, and also not allowed to be around gorgeous superheroes.

“That’s just not right,” Steve said, staring down at the cheesecake. “I’m going to be three hundred pounds by the time I leave this city.”

I laughed. “Take a few laps around the stadium and you’ll be alright.”

“That might have to happen, honestly. This is fantastic. Ever had it before?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have Super Soldier serum coursing through my veins, sorry. I’m pretty sure I’ll instantly gain ten pounds if I ever dared.”

He watched me for a moment, and then the warm smile turned just a tad bit wicked at the edges. “I thought we were being bad tonight.”

Jesus H. Christ. It took all of my will power not to faint dead away on the spot. Instead, I drew in a breath to steady myself before I said something stupid that would get me fired. “I can’t be bad while I’m still on the clock.”

He considered that for a moment. “What time does your shift end?”

My heart tried to jettison from my chest cavity. “I’m on mid-shift today. I leave at ten.”

He actually checked his watch. “Can I buy you a piece of cheesecake after your shift?”

“You bet your ass you can.” I clapped a hand over my mouth and shut my eyes in total embarrassment. “Oh my God, I am _so sorry_.”

He laughed again, holding up a hand in supplication. “It’s okay. I did sort of blindside you, after all.”

“Still, though,” I said. “You get a free refill on me for that one.”

He shook his head. “You really don’t have to.”

I collected his mug. “I insist. I won’t take no for an answer, mister. After all, you did just offer to buy me a cheesecake. Fair is fair.”

He nodded in agreement and I refilled the beer, and brought him the check after adding another cheesecake to the order, which took up the remaining part of my shift. I brought the cheesecake to the table and took off my smock as I sat across from him. He had a playful smile on his lips as he offered me the fresh utensils I’d set down earlier. “After you.”

“Thank you,” I said, and then I took a bite.

“Oh my _God_,” I groaned in the exact same tone that he had, my eyes closing. Sweet, rich, creamy heaven.

“Right?” he agreed.

“I can’t believe I haven’t tried this sooner. At last, I’ve seen the light.”

“It’s the little things in life,” he said wisely, joining me as he finished his own cheesecake. “So tell me something.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you work tomorrow?”

My lungs played ping pong with my heart. It was very hard to answer. “Actually, I’m off.”

He nodded. “I think it stands to reason that you are an excellent judge of cheesecake. Enough that you might be able to help me determine if this is as good or better than the kind at Cheesecake Factory. Any chance you’d mind lending your services to that end?”

“Well,” I said, wrinkling my nose and pretending to think it over. “You do seem as if you need a cheesecake ambassador for the remainder of your stay in my beloved city.”

I smiled at him. “I’d love to.”

He smiled right back at me, and gave me another wink.

“Sweet.”


End file.
